Circuit controller



CIRCUIT CONTROLLER Filed May 26. 1926 7 m M 7%{' W *4? 5W w I nventom FD. ,Z/m/werma/v Patented Apr. 3, 1928. i

. UNITED STATES FRANK DEWEY zmmERMAN AND ELLIS McKINLEY PYLE, or JEROME, PENNSYLVANIA.

PATENT OFFICE.

cmcuri CONTROLLER.

Application filed May 26,

This invention relates to improvements in circuit controlling devices and more particularly to a circuit controller for use in conjunction with manually operable electric motor starters and controllers.

An object of the invention resides in providing an attachment for application to manually, operated motor starting controllers which will provide a make and break mechanism for the main power circuit to the controller operable upon the operation of the cont-roller to close the circuit with the source of power for the motor upon the movement of the controller mechanism to the first start ingpoint from the off position, and which will further break the circuit'to the-source of power through the controller, after the motor has been in operation and during the motion of the controller toward the off position, one point.

The invention; comprehends numerous otherobjects and improvements in thedetails of construction and arrangement of the parts for carrying out the invention in a most eificient manner which are more particularly pointed out in the following description in detail, and in the claims, directed to a preferred form of construction, it being understood, however that various changes in the size, shape and relation of these parts may be made without departing from. the spirit or scope of the invention as herein set forth.

In the drawing forming part of this ap plication 2- l igure 1 is a plan view of a controller showing the attachment applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the controller, asshown in Fig. 1, with the device applied thereto and the portions shown in section.

Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the holder for the circuit controlling member.

1 indicates a manually operable motor controller of any desired type and construction as used in the, art for controlling and starting the electric motor such as used on street cars, locomotives and the like, in which the controller is provided with a plurality of contact fingers adapted to successively interpose and cut out resistance in the circuit to the motor being controlled for purposes Well known in the art. I

In the operation of these controllers,= it has been found that considerable arcing occurs across the contact points of the con- 1926. Serial N0. 111,813.

vides an attachment which will control the main circuit to the motor and the controller so as to close or open this circuit through the controller and motor upon the operation of the controller handle one step of movement in either direction.

The invention comprehends the provision of a contact disk 2 adapted to be mounted on the control post 3 of the controller which is normally rotatable upon the manual operation of the handle 4. A circuit controlling member 5 is. mounted for limited rotation in the holder 6 on the pin 7 extending between the arms 8 formed at one end of said holder, This circuit'controlling member is provided with an insulatingv segment 8 mounted in a recess formed in the periphery of the member 5 and at 9 has a segmental portion removed to provide a 'pair of shoulders 10 for cooperation with the sides of the shoulder 6 to form stops for limiting the rotating movement of the member 5 on the pin 7.

This holder 6 has apair of guiding arms 11 and 12 respectively, extending therefrom in spaced parallel relation,'the arm 11 being substantially longer than the arm 12 and provided with a threaded end These arms are slidably mounted in the bores 13 of the supporting block 14 which is formed with a socket 15 between the bores for housing the spring 16 normally adapted to engage the holder 6 and move the controlling member into engagement with the periphery of the contact disk a A pair of nuts 17 are threadedly mounted on the threaded end of the guide rod 11 to form a. means of limiting the projecting movement of the member by the spring 16 and for rigidly securing a flexible conductor to the holder by means of which connection between the controller and the source of power may be established with the attachment in circuit. This supporting member 14 may be mounted as'illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing, on the top of the controller 1.

It is to be understood that if'desired, this attachment may be applied within the casin order to preventaccidental contact with ill the member 6 or the control member 5 and the casing which would result in a short circuit between these parts. I

Through the peripheral contact of the control member 5 and the disk 2, together with the relative size of the disk 2 in proportion to the control member 5, it will be seen that in a slight rotative movement of the control handle t, in a clockwise direction as shown in Fig. 1, that the control member 5 will be moved in a counter-clockwise direction so that the insulating segment 8 will be mgved out of contact with the periphery of the disk 2 and the circuit to the controller, thereby closed through the disk 2 and the control member? This construction of the parts is such that the circuit will be closed upon the operation of the control handle to control the first pair of contacts in the box 1.

The shoulders 10 will limit the movement t this control member 5 so that in the further rotation of the control post 3 for the operation of the handle t to successively close all of the contact points of the controller, the disk 2 will have a sliding cooperation with the periphery of the control member 5 and retain the insulating segment out of contact therewith and maintain the circuits in the controller and the motor closed. This operation will take place in the motion of the control handle t from the oil position to the full on position in a manner which is well known in the art so that it will be understood that the circuit is immediately made through the operation of the disk 2 and the control member 5 as above described, and will be maintained in closed condition throughout theentire starting operation to apply the full line current to the motor.

When it is desired to stop the motor the controller handle 4rwill be moved in a co[inter-clockwise direction from the full on position and tl'irongl'i the operation of the handle one notch to breakthe last circuit closed by the controller, it will rotate the control member 5 in a clockwise direction to the position as shown in Fig. l, which will break the circuit to the motor entirely, and provide for any arcing which will take place between the disk 2 and the control member 5. It has been found that as all parts will not travel a circumferential path, the arcuate surface or peripher I of the insert 8 of suitable insulating material in the disk or control member 5 will prevent arcing bet-ween the control member and the disk 2 and elliciently open the circuit so that the current cannot arc across the contact fingers of the circuit controller within the housing 1.

This invention therefore provides an attachment for a circuit closure, which regardless ot' the position of the controller handle will immediately close or open the circuit to the controller upon the slight rotative movement of the control post 3 through the operation of the handle 4 in order to fully close or fully open the main power circuit through the controller and motor controlled thereby.

It will be furthermore appreciated that this same device can be used in connection invention, what we claim as new 1s 1. A controller attachment, comprising a, rotatable electric conductor vcontact disk, a

control member having an arcuate surface engaging the periphery of said disk and adapted to be rotated thereby, an insulating segment in said control member adapted to engage the disk in one position of the control member, means for rotatably mounting the control member operable to normally hold said control member in engagement with the disk, and means for limiting the extent of rotation of said control member in either'direction. r i V v 2. In combination, a controller having a casing and a control post provided with a handle operable to rotate the post, an electric conductor disk member mounted on the control post for rotation therewith, a rotatable control member having the periphery engaged with theperiphery of said disk, an insulating segment in the peripherey of the control member, adapted to engage the disk in one position of the control member, and means for rotatably mounting said control member normally operable to maintain the control member in engagement with the pe riphery of the disk and to limit the extent of rotative movement thereof, in either direction. 1 V

An attachment for electric controllers, wherein the controller includes a casing, a role table control post, and an operating handie :tor rotating said control post, comprising an electrical conducting contact disk mounted on the control post and rotatable therewith, a control disk having the periphery engaged with the periphery of the contact disk, an'insulating segment in the pe riph'ery or" said control disk, said control disk having a portion of its periphery removed to provide a pair-of stop shoulders at predetermined points, a holder rotatably mountving said control disk and having means for cooperation with the shoulders to limit the rotation of said control disk, a support mounted on said casing for said holder, and means for normally moving the holder in the support for maintaining the control disk in engagement with the tact disk.

4:. A circuit controller comprising a large disc, a small disc, both being formed of elecperiphery of the conrection and to retain contact between the 10 large and small disc for circuit closing cooperation in rotation of the small disc by the large disc in the opposite direction.

In testimony whereof We affix our signatures.

FRANK DEWVEY ZIMMERMAN. ELLIS MGKINLEY PYLE. 

